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CULTURE IS NOT
A LUXURY
CULTURE IN DEVELOPMENT
AND COOPERATION
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Hands
Contents
hand in hand, hands up, hands-off, handknit-
Foreword: Culture is not a luxury| 4
ted, hand over, hand to mouth, both hands,
1. Culture is the sum of experiences | 6 – 8
handwriting, hand full of dust, handing out
Case study Mali | Mozambique | 9
food, hand back, hand down, hand on, hand
2. Is globalization becoming “glocalization”? | 10 – 12
out, hand over, hand round, handbarrow,
Case study Romania | Nicaragua | 13
handbook, handbrake, handclasp, handcuff,
3. Facilitator for society and economy | 14 – 16
handgrenade, handgun, handshake, handi-
Case study Macedonia | Mozambique | 17
work, handiness, hand-loom, hand lotion,
4. Culture creates livelihoods | 18 – 20
hand luggage, handmade, hand-operated,
Case study Vietnam | CIS | 21
handrail, handsaw, handshake, hand-stitched,
5. From cultural event to culture reflex | 22 – 23
hand to hand, hand-picked, handstand, hand-
6. Enhancing and utilizing cultures for development | 24 – 26
to-hand fight, hand towel, handball, handbra-
Case study India | Cuba | 27
ke, handcart, handgrip, handout, handprint,
7. Principles for the cultural approach in development | 28 – 30
handstroke, handlebar, hands down, hand-
Case study Burkina Faso | West Africa | 31
bag. (extract PONS)
8. Measuring the unquantifiable | 32 – 34
Für die fotografische
Case study Bangladesh | Uzbekistan | 35
Illustration dieser
Photographs: Driss Manchoube, an ethnic
9. Lessons learnt | 36 – 39
Broschüre zeichnet der
Moroccan living in Bern
10. The North-South dialogue is important to us | 40 – 41
Berner Fotograf marokkanischer Abstammung,
Case study Tajikistan | 42
© September 2003
Literature, contacts, links | 43
Driss Manchoube, verantwortlich.
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FOREWORD
Culture is not a luxury
SDC’s work is always
based on a broad concept
of culture, ranging from
avantgarde dance festivals
to traditional knowledge
and cultural anthropology
“Culture matters”: this has become more and
more of a certainty in the development policy
debate in recent years. Cultural values, beliefs
and viewpoints are key influences on political,
economic and social development. Competence
in dealing with other cultures has become
more important than ever in SDC’s daily work
as well.
Of course, this decision has not made
the work of SDC’s staff in the field and
at its headquarters any easier. (“Art
is all very well. But it creates a lot of
work”, as the Munich comedien Karl
Valentin once said.) But it will make
SDC’s work more diverse, more
creative and more effective.
In cooperation with SDC’s partners, cultural aspects should therefore be given greater priority
in future. In accordance with its mandate, SDC
seeks to promote the awareness and development of culture with the aim of reinforcing
development and transition processes in the
countries of operation.
The brochure “Culture is not a
luxury” is intended to assist
SDC’s staff and their partner
organizations in responding to
these challenges, which will be
new to many of them. It presents the principles governing
SDC’s cultural policy in a broader context. It presents a whole
range of cultural projects – not
necessary as models which
should be copied, but rather as
inspiration. Above all, this brochure has one overarching aim:
to provide ideas for cultural projects, and to encourage people to
integrate culture more fully, embark on cultural projects, and find
synergies with the programmes. •
– for SDC takes the view
that modern culture should
not be played off against
venerable tradition, and
popular forms should not
be played off against elite
cultural forms of culture.
Sectarianism is quite inappropriate in the field
of culture.
The term “culture” is there-
In this context, SDC’s most important concern
is to contribute to the formation and preservation of independent and diverse cultural landscapes. The cultural context must also become
integral to the thinking and actions of its staff,
so that a genuine “culture reflex” emerges.
fore used in a broad and
multifaceted sense in this
brochure as well.
4
The Department therefore decided last year that
in all priority countries, local culture should be
supported by at least 1 percent of the bilateral
budget. The guidelines governing the use of this
“culture percent” are the “Principles of SDC’s
Cultural Policy” of 4 November 2002. (They
are reproduced in this brochure on pages 24
to 26.)
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DRIVING FORCE AND/OR OBSTACLE TO DEVELOPMENT
1.
Culture is the sum of experiences
Societies – nations, ethnic
The debate about the role of culture in social
and economic development has greatly intensified in recent years. One reason for this is the
widening gap between expectations, on the
one hand, and the outcomes actually achieved
through the investment of resources in development and progress, on the other.
groups, communities –
define themselves by their
values, preferences and
beliefs. Together, these
collective experiences constitute a society’s “culture”
and give it an identity
both internally and externally. Culture plays a key
role in defining individual
and community behaviour;
it determines how a society
will develop and advance..
A comparison of the economic data on Ghana
and South Korea in the 1960s reveals that at
that time, the two economies were similar, with
comparable levels of per capita gross national
product (GNP) and a similar division of their
economies among primary products, manufacturing and services. Both relied heavily on primary product exports and received similar
levels of economic aid. Thirty years on, South
Korea is the 14th most powerful economy in
the world, with a per capita income equivalent
to that of Greece. How can this extraordinary
difference be explained? Although there may
be many reasons, the two countries’ disparate
cultures are likely to be major factors. “The
people of South Korea value thrift, investment,
hard work, education, organization, and discipline. Ghanaians have different values. In short,
cultures count.” (Samuel P. Huntington)
Cultural debate in the South
Numerous other arbitrary examples have been
put forward. However, anyone ascribing them
merely to Western economists’ and sociologists’
intellectual arrogance is missing the point –
even though the South Korea-Ghana comparison
comes from the book “Culture Matters: How
Values Shape Human Progress” by Samuel P.
Huntington, the Harvard University professor.
Certainly, the debate about culture’s role as a
driving force for and/or an obstacle to development is being conducted with increasing intensity in both Africa and Latin America.
6
Carlos Alberto Montaner, a Cuban living in exile who is one of the most
widely-read columnists writing in the
Spanish language, calls for a cultural transformation in the Latin
American societies, starting with
their elites: politicians, the military, the clergy, the business community, intellectuals and left-wingers.
Montaner, the Cuban, speaks the
same language as Cameroon’s
Daniel Etounga-Manguelle. The
former World Bank advisor has
self-critically analyzed the need
for a “Programme d’Ajustement
Culturel” for Africa and calls for
four peaceful cultural revolutions
on the African continent: in education, politics, the economy and
social relations.
Armies of academics working in
the fields of economics, sociology, ethnology, anthropology, etc.
have now joined in the debate
and, with the publication of new
research findings, constantly prove
one thing above all: that this is a
complex issue.
Learning from history
Values, preferences and tradition have
played a key role in development and
progress in the industrialized countries. The
way in which societies have responded to
specific framework conditions – climate, natural resources, competition – has influenced
their future development and transformed their
cultures in a process which is still ongoing
today. A prerequisite was – and is – that the
cultures subjected to such change are able to
draw on their strong individual identity.
During the development of the industrialized
countries, it proved impossible to avoid mistakes
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CASE STUDY
DRIVING FORCE AND/OR OBSTACLE TO DEVELOPMENT
More than half the adult
population in 23 countries – of which only
Afghanistan, Bangladesh,
Nepal, Pakistan and
Haiti are located outside
Africa – is illiterate.
and, indeed, conflicts within and between cultures. The overexploitation of natural resources
and the resulting impact on climate, for example,
will also result in cultural upheavals in future,
notably in the industrialized societies’ attitude
to motorized mobility. The end of the Cold
War is only now beginning to implant itself as
a cultural challenge in the awareness of politicians, business and society. The lesson to be
learned from this is that culture is never static
– quite the contrary.
More than half of all
women in 35 countries –
including the countries
mentioned above, but
also Algeria, Egypt,
Guatemala, India, Laos,
Morocco, Nigeria and
Fifty years of development: a review
The need for a cultural debate in the context of
development cooperation arises from the social
and economic facts which describe the shocking reality for much of the world’s population
even after half a century of foreign aid and
development cooperation. To cite just a few
examples:
Saudi Arabia – cannot
read or write.
Population growth in the
poorest countries stands
at 2.1 per cent – three
times the rate of highincome countries.
The review of half a century of development is
sobering, especially in Africa and Latin America. The disparities in the development of individual developing countries and regions which
often share the same colonial, economic or ecological starting conditions are striking, and can
no longer be explained solely in terms of their
colonial legacy, economic dependency on transnational corporations, or the protectionist policies imposed by industrialized countries.
Nonetheless, it would be inappropriate simply
to inculcate developing countries with the same
values, preferences and behaviours as those
which have developed in the industrialized
countries over centuries. A high-quality watchmaking industry cannot evolve simply by providing people with magnifying glasses and precision tools. The sometimes rather simplistic
distinction made between North and South –
that the former has the clocks, but the latter
has the time – points to the very different cultural conditions in which development takes place.
Identifying these differences and building them
into development projects is the real challenge
facing cultural work in the development context today.
Whether it is a driving force or an obstacle,
culture has a key role to play, and is just as important as good governance, gender equality
or education. This poses a challenge not only
to the donors’ but also to the recipients’ culture,
for as the African adage says, “the hand that receives is forever beneath the hand that gives.”
•
Mali
Mozambique
Africans take photographs of Africa
Mali’s capital, Bamako, plays an important
role in the development of African photography, not least due to the “Rencontres africaines
de la photographie” which take place on a
regular basis. The Swiss aid agency Helvetas
has therefore set up its Centre de formation en
photographie in Bamako.
Escola das Artes Visuais
The School of Visual Arts (Escola das Artes
Visuais) in Maputo, Mozambique, launched its
training programmes in arts and crafts in
1983. Several years ago, graphic design was
introduced as a new subject, and the school
has now added training in computer technology – including web design – to its curriculum.
The training programme, which lasts for 51/2
years, is seen as vocational training for the
culture sector.
The students are aged between 16 and 20,
and 10 per cent of them are women. They are
very ambitious and keen to learn, and have
great hopes for the future. After completing
their training, all graduates immediately find
work in industries such as advertising, information/communications, animation and web
design. The industry urgently needs more trainees and graduates in these areas.
The Centre runs a number of course modules,
each lasting 15 to 20 days. The courses are
aimed primarily at African photographers, but
trainees from non-government organizations
who use photography in their projects can also
participate.
The Centre’s photographic lab is an important
tool in the students’ training. It is also available for use by professional photographers. It
accepts commissions and supplies prints for
exhibitions, books, etc.
The Centre promotes exchange between
Malian, African and European photographers.
It also assists its graduates by supporting
publications and exhibitions.
The Photography Department of the École des
arts appliqués in Vevey advises the Centre on
technical issues.
Link: www.helvetas-mali.org
At the start of the 21st
century, 1.1 billion people have no access to
clean drinking water.
8
Cultural debate as a challenge
The signs are mounting: it seems certain that
the impediments to development in individual
countries and regions – including industrialized
countries – cannot be explained solely by economic, environmental or social parameters.
The deliberate isolationism and self-sufficiency
of some societies on the grounds that they must
protect themselves from Western-style development as far as possible is a myth.
As a value-adding measure, the training programme helps to achieve one of SDC’s primary goals, namely poverty alleviation, by focussing primarily on creating jobs for young people. With their newly acquired knowledge,
these young people are also in a position to
raise awareness of issues such as health and
the environment.
Mozambique’s Culture Ministry, IBIS, Danida
and SDC are the project partners and fund the
programme jointly.
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CULTURE AND GLOBALIZATION
2.
The globalization debate
has also had an impact
on culture. It is said that
Western cultures are
dominating the cultures of
the developing countries,
which are defenceless
against this assault. It is
claimed that the Internet
is becoming a digital
“Trojan horse” which
transfers Western values
and patterns of behaviours, along with the
products of the Western
entertainment industry,
undiluted into the developing countries. The reality
Is globalization becoming
“glocalization”?
North American corporations control 55 per
cent of the global cultural industries (film, music,
TV, radio). European corporations control 25
per cent, companies from Japan and the rest of
Asia 15 per cent, and Latin American companies 5 per cent. The African entertainment industry is too small to be included in the statistics. It is obvious that such economic dominance
must have an impact on the cultural development of the underrepresented regions. Globalization of the entertainment industry is a given
– but is the “Americanization” of culture already
complete?
A study on music consumption in Latin America
shows that Anglo-American music does not dominate home-grown music at all. Apart from
Venezuela, where international music reaches
more than half of the general public (63%),
local styles of music still prevail in the other
countries’ music scenes. In Colombia, it is vallenato, in Puerto Rico salsa and in Argentina it
is tango. In Brazil, too, 65 per cent of the public
prefer local styles of music.
is more complex – and
offers opportunities for
“glocalization”.
10
So is there really any “levelling out” of cultures,
caused by worldwide distribution of the TV series produced en masse by “Hollywood”? Studies on responses to series which are distributed
worldwide, such as Dallas or The Young and
the Restless, in various societies outside the
USA do not confirm the frequent claims that
“everyone is becoming the same”. Astonishingly,
it seems that the opposite is true. Responses to
the American soaps varied very widely in Algeria, Israel, Japan and Trinidad. Depending
on ethnicity, they served as a mirror either for
prevailing local values – on the family or the
role of women – or for friendships in the society
concerned. Instead of adopting wholesale the
values and behaviours depicted in Dallas, Algerians, for example, felt that these reaffirmed
their own adherence to traditional values such
as the extended family, which generally views
state bureaucracy as hostile to family
solidarity.
In Trinidad, the American origins of
The Young and the Restless were completely ignored, but the series was
fully integrated into reflections on
local society. The series’ appeal
was based not on an illusion of a
perfect world, but on its highlighting of major weaknesses and
fundamental contradictions within Trinidad’s culture. The series
reflects central issues in Trinidad’s society. Sex, social crises
and chaos – summed up in
Trinidad by the word Bacchanal – are the dominant themes
in the storyline.
It is highly unlike that the scriptwriters intended their series to
have such an effect.
Underdeveloped Internet
There appear to be parallels between the development of the Internet now and in future and that of
the entertainment industry some
years ago. Less than 2 per cent of
people in Latin America have Internet
access, and the figure is even lower in
Africa, compared with 23.3 per cent in
the USA and 6.9 percent in the other
OECD countries. The wealthiest 20 per
cent of the world’s population account for
93.3 per cent of Internet access and own
more than 70 percent of hosts. Confounding
many people’s expectations, the Internet has a
long way to go before it facilitates more democratic access to information exchange at national and international level. Nonetheless, the
technology already exists. The task now is to
utilize these opportunities in the interests of
development – at least wherever access is
available.
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CASE STUDY
CULTURE AND GLOBALIZATION
The virtual souk
One such opportunity is being utilized by non-government organizations (NGOs) in a joint project with the World Bank. The
virtual souk (www.southbazar.
com) enables producers from
Tunisia, Lebanon and Morocco to bring their crafts
to the international market.
The participants not only
achieve far better prices
but also enjoy additional
benefits, such as training,
and form networks with
others whom they previously viewed as competitors. The success of
these small-scale entrepreneurs is based not on
globalized products designed to meet globalized
tastes, but on unique and
distinctive local products
for which there is a growing
demand from consumers on
the global market who are
looking for unusual products
typical of a specific culture. By
marketing products with a strong
local culture and identity, globalization – which many people view
as a threat – is gradually becoming
an opportunity in a process which
may be termed glocalization.
Globalization will therefore not only lead to a
wider distribution of products and services and
more democratic access to markets. There will
also be more rapid globalization of beliefs,
values and behaviours – in all directions.
Isolating the developing countries in order to
protect them from the negative impacts of cultural globalization is not possible either technically or politically, and nor is it desirable from
a development perspective. Instead, what is
needed is accelerated training in the best use
of these information technologies.
Developing and threshold countries should be
able to present their views, products and services
on the digital market on the basis of equality.
The local cultures and their digital translation
into information, messages, products and services are not an obstacle to this process. On
the contrary, globalization, viewed by many as
a threat and driven forward by the networking
of multinational producers and markets, offers
an opportunity to strengthen local identity at
the same time.
Glocalization is still in its infancy. However,
the Internet is one of the most important tools
for this process. The Internet can become a
bridge between cultures. Cultural policy in the
development context can, and should, create
the framework here.
•
Romania
Nicaragua
Bringing new life to the arts centres
In Romania, there are still hundreds of arts
centres – a legacy of the old regime. In most of
them, however, arts and culture live a shadowy existence. There is not enough money to
purchase equipment or put on cultural programmes. The local authorities’ “referenti culturali”, who are responsible for the arts centres, are left to deal with these problems on
their own. They are poorly educated and trained, and many of them also lack stimulating
ideas for programmes.
“Barefoot University” on the coast
Among the many new initiatives launched by
the indigenous populations in response to
development challenges, Nicaragua’s first
indigenous university has a special status. It
was established in the 1990s as the University
of the Autonomous Regions of the Caribbean
Coast of Nicaragua (URACCAN), with the aim
of training the human resources required to
implement the 1987 Autonomy Law.
This is a pity – for an arts centre can be an
inspiration and a hub for community development at local level. That is the starting point for
a programme of cooperation being run by Pro
Helvetia on behalf of SDC: selected arts centres are encouraged to utilize their opportunities to engage with issues of social change.
Training programmes are being run for arts
centre managers who show initiative, and their
cultural programmes are supported as far as
possible. In this context, networking of these
“referenti” is also important for an exchange
of ideas and experience. However, a further
aim here is also to lay the foundation stone for
a genuinely decentralized Romanian cultural
lobby.
The University of the Autonomous Regions is
now fully recognized by the Nicaraguan state.
Since its establishment, the principle that the
University’s embeddedness in the communities
it seeks to serve has been upheld, both in staff
recruitment and in its academic activities. A
major project is the University’s participatory
research in four areas: traditional management of natural resources, the traditional system of justice, methods of community health
care, and rules of social behaviour in rural
regions.
This challenging project was launched in
2000 with SDC’s support. “Tradition for tomorrow” encompasses several areas: research
and participatory conversion of information,
its academic treatment and its return to the
individuals and villages concerned (publication, exhibition, video, assemblies, etc.).
Finally, the findings should also flow into national politics and judicial norms.
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CULTURE AS SOCIAL CAPITAL
3.
Facilitator for society
and economy
Norms and networks of
In simple terms, social capital can be defined
as a collection of informal values and norms. It
enables members of a group to cooperate and
thus pursue common interests – such as the use
of natural resources – more effectively than
through individual action. The evolution of Europe’s formerly agrarian societies into today’s
industrialized states would have been inconceivable without this social capital.
Swiss alpine cheese would never have been
produced if the cattle-owners had not agreed,
hundreds of years ago, on the number of animals permitted to stock the alpine meadows,
which could only be used for two or three
months at a time. Today, this type of concept is
described as “sustainable development”.
civic engagement – often
also known as “community
spirit” – are not only important for social cohesion
in a society; they are also
an essential prerequisite
for a country’s democratic
consensus and welfare.
This is referred to as “social capital”. Yet even today, it seems that social
capital is notable more
for its absence than its
presence. Nonetheless,
social capital is crucially
important for culture in
the development context.
The wealthy societies are facing difficulties in
overcoming the damage to the natural environment caused by decades of uncurbed economic
growth. Air, water and soil belong to everyone
and no one, and are thus subject to uncontrolled
exploitation. The task of making good this damage has only just begun, in the teeth of fierce
resistance from politics and business. It will not
only cost billions, but will also entail radical
changes in behaviour. A tremendous act of cultural will is required to persuade the citizens of
the wealthy countries to reduce their reliance
on motorized mobility in order to protect a global climate for the benefit of the three-quarters
of humanity who live outside their cultural
spheres.
Who is the role model – and for whom?
Measured against universally applicable welfare indicators, the industrialized countries are
undoubtedly in a better position than the developing and threshold countries. A glance at the
statistics on child mortality, life expectancy,
education, health, per capita income and security is enough to show that the EU, North
America and the wealthy Asian countries are
well ahead of the South, East and parts of
14
Asia. No wonder the industrialized
countries are seen as role models –
not only in their own view, but from
the southern countries’ perspective
as well.
The logical consequence might appear to be the South’s complete
adoption of the North’s economic
and social patterns of behaviour
as swiftly as possible. This, it
might be argued, would quickly
put an end to poverty, disease,
and conflicts. Yet the worldwide availability of natural resources and the absorption capacities of the ecosystems remind
us that this simple logic cannot
work. Just imagine what would
happen if China were motorized
to the same extent as the USA,
and what impact this would
have on climate and oil prices.
The slash-and-burn culture, which
has been practised in many tropical countries for generations and
which – along with other factors –
has resulted in a dramatic loss of vast
tracts of rainforest, will not be stopped
just because environmentalists and the
drugs industry from the North regard the
rainforests as an irreplaceable source of
biodiversity. These human and natural habitats can only survive if the local populations
are able to safeguard their communities’ livelihoods while abandoning their traditional patterns of behaviour. Only then will they be
empowered to embark on cultural change.
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CULTURE AS SOCIAL CAPITAL
CASE STUDY
Macedonia
The greater integration of culture into development will therefore bring nothing but advantages for the industrialized and developing
countries alike, offering new solutions to problems. In both cases, however, we will face a
challenge on an unprecedented scale.
The formula devised by Werner Geissberger, a
groundbreaking thinker in the Swiss ecology
and development movement, still holds good
today: the more human warmth a society generates, the less artificial energy needs to be introduced.
Social capital formation in the North is
essential
For the industrialized countries, there is no
doubt that the loss of social capital since the
Second World War will create major difficulties for the coming generations. The conflict
over the pension reforms which have now become necessary in many European countries
demonstrates this very clearly and is underlined
by the growing calls for the renewal of the “social contract”. In the environmental debate, the
aim is to maintain individual welfare while reducing resource use, which will entail a shift in
production and consumption patterns.
Both the sparing use of financial resources – in
the former case – and of the ecosystems, in the
latter, can be utilized to benefit progress in the
developing countries. A prerequisite is that enough social capital is formed in time to cushion
the effects of the necessary reforms without
harsh conflicts and unaffordable costs.
Promoting and protecting social capital in the South
In many developing countries, on the other
hand, the task will be to bring social capital
out of the family, tightly defined ethnic groups,
or clans into a wider society – such as the state
– without losing any own identity in the process. At the same time, the developing countries must recognize that lessons must be learned from the industrialized countries’ “success
story” without first repeating their mistakes.
The social capital which undoubtedly still exists
in many developing countries must therefore
not only be protected – for example, through
isolation – but must also be integrated into an
ever-evolving culture. This will entail the gradual
transition from family- or clan-centric thinking
to an awareness which focusses on the common
good.
The result is a greater capacity for conflict management, cooperation, (self-)critical and creative
thought, and, ultimately, more social capital. •
Nashe Maalo: combating prejudice
with children’s TV
Macedonia is a multiethnic state. Yet the
Macedonian, Albanian, Turkish and Roma
communities live alongside each other rather
than with each other. The outcomes of this
segregation are mistrust and fear.
Macedonia’s media have done little to change
this situation. One exception is the TV series
Nashe Maalo (“Our Neighbourhood”), which
has attained cult status among 7- to 12-yearolds. 75 per cent of children report watching
the programme and the overwhelming majority rate it as good or excellent.
The central figure in the series is “Karmen”, a
personification of the building in which many
of the young characters – who represent different ethnicities – live. Karmen uses her special
powers to transport the children magically into
someone else’s reality. In this way, the children
gain an understanding of and insight into each
other’s lives. An academic study has shown
that after viewing, many children provided less
prejudiced descriptions when presented with
images of people from other ethnic groups.
Mozambique
Milohro Dance Group
Equality and democracy are the key principles
guiding the work of Milohro, a group of young
professional dancers in Maputo. The members
of the group elect a new management every
three years, ensuring as they do so that both
sexes have equal rights. Whenever a new
generation of dancers joins the group, a casting session is held, followed by three months
of training, three months of dance and performances, and finally an assessment by the
group as a whole.
The dancers have secure incomes from their
performances in large hotels and are thus able
to demonstrate to society but also to other
artists that it is entirely possible to earning a
living from artistic endeavour. However, the
group’s main interest is in using dance as a
means to convey important messages and
information. When the group toured the country with the show “Water: A Drop of Life”, villagers and local figures were included in the
performances, which explored problems of significance to the local communities and incorporated central concepts from the local language into the show.
The group is sensitive to the importance of culture for development and all its members are
equally keen to learn for themselves while teaching others. They have now established a network with 15 other dance groups around the
country and launched a programme of cooperation.
SDC has cofunded the series since early 1999
as it contributes to a more peaceful and stable
Macedonia.
Link to Common Ground Productions, which
produces Nashe Maalo: www.cgponline.org
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CULTURE AS AN ECONOMIC FACTOR
4.
Culture creates livelihoods
Creativity contributes to
In its cultural achievements, a society presents
itself to the outside world. Creativity expresses,
challenges, reaffirms, develops and redefines
the inner life of a society. But creativity also has
an intrinsic economic value; indeed, it creates a
value chain of its own.
the formation of social
capital, especially when
broader sections of a
society, not just an elite,
are involved. The ensuing
personal relations and
networks strengthen cohesion and foster self-confi-
The American music industry generates 40 billion
dollars annually through phonograms, videos,
TV and the Internet. Around 90 per cent of the
industry are dominated by four transnational
corporations.
dence among participants.
However, creativity can
also give rise to new eco-
The USA’s audiovisual industry accounts for 6
per cent of GNP; in France, it is estimated at
more than 3 per cent of GNP.
ture industries in developing countries,
a key task is to help achieve a balance between the needs of the urban
and the rural populations. This can
best be achieved through targeted
training and development programmes which take account of the conditions of life in both rural and
urban regions and are underpinned by follow-up programmes
(especially for creative projects)
in the countryside. In some circumstances, appropriate forms
of tourism may be one way of
promoting the interests of the
rural population.
nomic sectors – yielding
sustainable profits.
However, the culture industries are becoming
increasingly important for developing and threshold countries as well. Brazil ranks 6th in the
global music market and generates 800 million
dollars annually through sales of music recordings and videos (1998).
In Colombia, the culture industries’ share of GNP
is estimated to be 4 per cent – far higher than
the traditional hotel and restaurant industry and
Colombia’s main agricultural product, coffee
(2.75 per cent).
Within just 10 years, Bangalore (India) has established itself as an international centre for software development and services, generating 4
billion dollars in export revenue for India annually (2000). With a pool of highly skilled staff
and start-up capital supplied by multinational
companies, Bangalore has successfully developed an enterprise culture which has led to the
formation of many new businesses.
While many cultural projects have urban roots
and a city-dwelling target audience, the vast
majority of people in developing countries still
live in rural regions. When supporting the cul-
18
Education: the starting
point
Many developing and threshold countries have major but
largely untapped potential to
develop their own value chains
in the cultural field. Very often,
however, this potential is not exploited due to a lack of craft and
technical skills and marketing expertise. What is required are appropriate training and development
programmes based on an integrated
strategy for culture and the recognition
that people are the key resource in developing a culture-based value chain.
Investment – for example, in arts and crafts
schools, arts management training or artsbased social work – may thus be the first step
in cultural work in the development context.
While such investment does not generate any
direct profit, it is an essential element of sustainable development.
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CULTURE AS AN ECONOMIC FACTOR
CASE STUDY
Vietnam
Culture in the development context thus entails
not only art exhibitions or meetings of artists –
although these should certainly be part of a
strategy for culture and can contribute to
wealth creation. It also involves the long-term
development of creative capacities, which
should then have a positive impact on indigenous culture. Generating added value on the
basis of local culture and benefiting the greatest possible number of participants is the most
effective response to globalization – supposed
or actual – and a uniform lifestyle.
•
The rise of Bangalore
Thanks to a cultural conflict in the neighbouring state of Tamil Nadu in the 19th century,
Bangalore has become one of the world’s leading
software
development
centres.
Following the adoption of an anti-Brahman
policy, many Tamils were also expelled,
taking their prodigious talents for feats of
memory and mathematical combinatorics to
Bangalore. In 1907, the Indian Institute of
Science was founded, and in 1934,
Chandrasekhar Venkata Raman, a Tamil, was
appointed its director. It was C.V. Raman, no
less, who became the first Indian scholar educated entirely in India to receive the Nobel
Prize for Physics in 1930. As a result, after
India gained its independence in 1947, the
Indian Space Research Organisation and an
aerospace and electronics industry were
established in Bangalore. The IT boom in the
1990s was thus the belated but logical outcome of specific cultural achievements in a
heterogeneous society.
CIS
Theatre against trafficking
In Switzerland, the growing trade in young
women from the former Eastern bloc is making
headlines. In the countries of origin, on the
other hand, trafficking is still a taboo subject
for many people.
Hanoi Art goes New Media
In November 2002, the “point de vue” video
company in Basel organized an intercultural
project, entitled «Hanoi Art goes New
Media», in the Centre for Contemporary Arts
in Hanoi. At a two-week workshop, 15 young
Vietnamese artists were introduced to working
with the medium of video through theoretical
and practical work and the learning-by-doing
approach.
At the workshop, the artists worked intensively
in small groups to produce a number of video
features. These were then shown over the course of a week at the Center for Contemporary
Arts. There was a great deal of interest from
visitors, and responses were very positive.
SDC’s Humanitarian Aid Department, in conjunction with local non-government organizations, is therefore using a tried and trusted
method of raising awareness, namely theatre.
In 2001, the theatre group established at the
Coliseum Arts Centre toured all of Moldova
with its show “The Seventh Pub”.
The drama, which focusses on trafficking, is
based on true life stories. In summer 2003, the
play was performed in several cities in Ukraine
and Belarus. The dates for the performances
were deliberately chosen for the university
holidays, as the aim was to reach out to the
major risk group, i.e. young women, during
the main recruiting period. The performances
were supplemented by publications and exhibitions in the three countries.
The workshop and studio had a significant
impact within a short period of time. They raised the artists’ awareness of the opportunities
afforded by the new media and enabled them
to produce independent and innovative work.
This project, which was supported by SDC,
also contributed to the diversity of the
Vietnamese cultural landscape, thus promoting
SDC’s indirect objective of fostering a pluralistic society.
21
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SDC’S UNDERSTANDING OF CULTURE
5.
From cultural event
to culture reflex
SDC plans to integrate
Culture is viewed by SDC not only as a value
per se but also as a development tool which is
as important as other values. It aims to reinforce
the awareness and development of culture in
the processes of development and transition in
the countries of operation. Wherever possible
and viable, through its cultural policy, SDC
also promotes participation and stakeholding
by poorer groups in the cultural, social and
political process.
culture as a development
factor more fully into its
programmes and projects
in future. The aim is to
achieve a new synthesis
between tradition and
modernity in order to utilize
the creative skills of
people in the countries of
operation and thus strengthen and promote their
own capacities (empowerment). In this context, SDC
is less concerned with
Although cultural aspects have always played
a role in development cooperation, integrated
cultural policy in the cross-cutting sense described here poses a new challenge to many of
SDC’s staff. So that the cultural context becomes integral to their thinking and actions and
a genuine “culture reflex” emerges, SDC raises
awareness of intercultural aspects in international cooperation.
SDC therefore intends to work with a
broad concept of culture which comprises, alongside culture in the narrow sense, other symbolic forms of
knowledge and behaviour as well,
such as popular and traditional
art, crafts, traditional knowledge,
oral tradition, etc.
Implementation in the
countries of operation
So that energies are not wasted,
cultural policy must focus on a
few specific lines of action
when implementing projects in
the countries of operation. The
choice depends, not least, on
the opportunities available and
the conditions in place at local
level.
launching as many new
and innovative “cultural
projects” as possible than
with discovering culture
as “value-added” in existing programmes and
projects and promoting it
in appropriate cases.
SDC’s understanding of culture
Culture is understood as a system of processes,
norms, rules and values which, as an expressive
and symbolic aspect of social behaviour, encompasses the whole of society. Culture is never
static, but is always a dynamic process. Different cultures are also very rarely “pure”: in
practice, almost every society in the South and
North is multicultural.
Globalization leads to a levelling out of culture
(“McDonaldization”) but also to heightened differentiation between local cultures at the same
time. In development cooperation, post-conflict
situations and transition countries, the task may
not be to combat trends towards homogeneity;
instead, it may be more effective to focus on
differentiation.
22
A dialectical relationship between
change and preservation, between opening and isolation, between modernity and tradition is
of key importance in SDC’s countries of operation. Traditions can
only survive if they continue to develop, and if they open up to new influences; otherwise, they stagnate or
become folklore. Conversely, a form of
modernity which ignores or denies its
historical roots generally has no social
relevance.
SDC’s cultural policy is conscious of this
dialectical relationship and supports projects
and programmes which aim to identify new
syntheses of modernity and tradition.
•
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PRINCIPLES OF SDC CULTURAL POLICY
6.
Enhancing and utilizing cultures
for development
SDC cultural policy aims
Cultural development:
enhancing independent cultures
Culture for development:
culture as a tool
«We support diversity in the local culture(s).»
The aim is to promote the formation and preservation of independent and diversified cultural landscapes. SDC thus contributes to the
building of pluralist and participatory societies.
«We search for synergies to our programmes.» SDC primarily supports
cultural campaigns which can contribute to development and transition processes. It gives preference
to projects and programmes which
contribute to the formation and
preservation of independent and
diversified cultural landscapes.
Wherever possible and useful,
SDC also fosters participation
and partnership by the poorer
segments of society in cultural,
social and political processes
(empowerment).
to strengthen independent
cultures while ensuring
that they remain open to
new developments.
Special priority is given to
cultural minorities and to
the role of women, who
are often the most important vectors of culture. The
Internet should be used as
a hub in a targeted way,
«We focus in particular on cultural minorities.»
Cultural identity is a human right. Knowledge,
appreciation and use of one’s own culture foster
empowerment. SDC therefore gives targeted
and preferential support to the expression of
cultural minorities.
firstly as a source of inspiration and secondly in
order to open up new platforms – and new markets
– to the indigenous cultures.
The detailed principles of
SDC cultural policy are as
follows:
«We focus on the role of women as creators
and transmitters of culture.» In many societies,
women are the most important vectors of culture.
SDC helps to give a voice to this cultural specificity.
«We use the Internet as a hub.» Globalization
leads to a standardization of local cultures, yet
provides new opportunities for greater cultural
diversity at the same time. SDC helps its partners to seize these opportunities. It aims to facilitate access to the Internet and other new IT
tools. Partners should be able to utilize these
new sources for themselves and also feed in
their own cultural diversity.
«We increasingly use culture in
our programmes as an awareness-raising tool.» Street theatre
is just one example of how a cultural instrument can be used to
address socially significant and
often taboo subjects and open them
up to public debate. This also creates
good opportunities for local actors
to perform in front of an audience
and earn a living.
«We work to promote vibrant local cultural
scenes.» Only a dynamic cultural life and
appropriate platforms (cultural encounters,
festivals, etc.) facilitate the emergence of the
human and creative resources required for culture to be utilized as an awareness-raising tool.
«We use culture to generate income.» Culture
in general – and particularly arts and crafts,
for example – can be major sources of local
income, regardless of whether they are aimed
at tourists or the export markets.
24
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PROJECT CASE STUDY
PRINCIPLES OF SDC CULTURAL POLICY
Target group: youth
«Youth is our primary target group.» SDC
helps to create cultural opportunities for
young people so that they come into
contact with contemporary culture but
also learn to treasure their own traditional culture.
Implementation; responsibilities
«In our countries of operation, we
allocate at least one per cent of
the total budget to promoting local
culture.» As far as possible, these
funds are managed at local level,
generally by the Cooperation Office. The Cooperation Offices play
an active role in backing local
initiatives, drawing on the advice
of local experts in this context.
«The diversity of local cultures and
cultural domains requires a corresponding diversity in approaches and
measures.» Africa is not the Caucasus, and a travelling theatre is not an
arts centre. The SDC adapts its programmes to the specific local realities.
Coordination; backstopping
«We strive for effective coordination at all
levels.» SDC tries to avoid any overlap in its
countries of operation. Coordination meetings
with other national and international actors
take place on an ongoing basis.
«We organize effective backstopping for both
our headquarters and work in the field.» SDC
is committed to these cultural policy principles
and also underlines the importance of culture
for sustainability in the development process.
SDC’s development work will focus to an even
greater extent on the interdependencies between culture and development work in the economic, social and environmental fields. In this
context, pro-active and systematic analysis
and the provision of ongoing feedback aim to
ensure a prompt response to project developments and thus their adaptation to changing
conditions.
•
India
Cuba
Keeping tradition alive
Science meets Dharma: Western science meets
Buddhist wisdom – an unusual cultural project.
It is based on an initiative by the Dalai Lama,
the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism. The
Dalai Lama has recognized that his people’s
spiritual culture can only thrive and develop if
Tibetan monks are able to engage with
Western thinking and especially with modern
science. Without this liberalization, a key element of Tibetan culture would progressively
stagnate.
A film school with a continental profile
The independent Escuela Internacional de Cine y
TV (EICTV) in Cuba is well known throughout the
world and broadcasts all over Latin America.
However, it faces major financial difficulties.
Students specializing in screenwriting, directing,
producing, camera techniques, sound design, editing, and documentary film-making have to work
with obsolete material which urgently needs to be
updated, while the availability of new digital technologies is limited. The situation is especially critical in the fields of sound technology and visual
design.
In order to prevent this from occurring, the
Dalai Lama requested the Tibet Institute in
Rikon (Zurich canton) to introduce a programme of science teaching for monks in the
Tibetan monasteries in southern India. Thanks,
not least, to a contribution from SDC, the Tibet
Institute is now in the process of implementing
this initiative. Volunteers from Interteam teach
Tibetan monks as part of this pilot scheme,
which also creates new opportunities for intercultural learning.
The SDC is therefore providing targeted support
to EICTV in three areas:
• Sound equipment: funding new purchases,
especially for digital sound editing and sound
recording during filming, and for repairs to
and replacement of existing equipment.
• Grants for students on the two-year foundation course who come from SDC’s priority
countries in Latin America and, in future, in
Africa.
• Exchange with Swiss filmmakers who run
workshops lasting one to three weeks at the
EICTV.
«We prefer to invest in software, and only
in exceptional cases in hardware.» SDC’s
limited funds are primarily utilized to develop
knowledge, institutions and networks. Financing
is only provided for infrastructure projects when
absolutely necessary.
«We work at both micro and macro level.»
SDC supports measures which improve the framework conditions for cultural expression: freedom of speech, access to culture, and access
to information.
27
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GUIDING QUESTIONS FOR SDC CULTURAL POLICY
7.
Principles for the cultural
approach in development
Adopting an integrated
For the planning and successful integration of
cultural policy into development, a holistic approach is essential. It is important to understand how and why the target groups function
and how they think and live. In routine project
work, this essentially non-controversial integrated approach poses a new challenge.
However, the private and public agencies responsible for development projects and programmes were, and are, not adequately prepared
for a holistic view. Most decision-making processes, networks, strategies and mandate cultures have to be prepared for cultural policy in
a targeted way.
approach to culture in
development requires
appropriate criteria for
project development and
evaluation. The problem is
that quantitative elements
are either limited or nonexistent. However, a set
of guiding questions – or,
indeed, principles – for
project development will
improve the prospects of
success and be useful for
evaluation purposes.
The time factor
Integrated cultural policy requires an appropriate time frame for planning and implementation. Normally, the time limits and decisionmaking processes for development projects do
not match the ideas and behaviours of the local
populations. Development projects often turn the
local communities into onlookers in what amounts to a Formula 1 race, to which they themselves have travelled by ox-cart. The transition
from past to future forces the communities to
adopt a different rhythm in their family, village
or even in government. Is the project design
geared towards these different concepts of
time? Also at head office level? As a rule, this
requires longer planning times than before.
Development means participation
Participation and stakeholding have been tried
and tested principles in planning and implementing SDC’s development projects for decades. Empowerment can only be achieved with
the consent and endorsement of the population
concerned. Pro-active participation from planning to evaluation and at all levels of decision
making is a key prerequisite for integrated cultural policy in particular. However, because an
integrated approach must work within beliefs
and value systems which are only indirectly
28
perceptible, interruptions, diversions
and power struggles cannot be ruled
out. A local dignitary whose authority
emanates solely from ethnic tradition
may, in some circumstances, be far
more crucial to the project’s success
than representatives of the people
who are elected democratically
but only by the local “elite”. Are
the actors who will be the genuine long-term decision makers
taking part in the stakeholder
dialogue, or is there a reliance
on the nominal appointees
because they will help the project to achieve the desired outcome in the short term?
On the basis of specific
reality
The participation of the population or target groups concerned
only makes sense if the project is
based on actual and existing life
situations which have been identified by the stakeholders and is not
based on an set of indicators which
has been imposed from outside. The
beliefs, value systems and behaviours
of the communities concerned must be
recognized in the project. Culturally sustainable projects emerge when the participation mechanisms – and the project
itself – are defined and implemented by the
population concerned. In this area, SDC has
acquired many years of experience which
enable it to apply tried and tested models of
participation successfully in a socio-cultural
context.
The guiding question is this: are the participants also stakeholders, and are their inevitable
concerns about the necessary changes in behaviour being addressed, either on the basis
of confidence or through persuasion?
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GUIDING QUESTIONS FOR SDC CULTURAL POLICY
Combating poverty
People who have to battle against poverty and
for sheer survival every day have little time and
energy left for beliefs, values and behavioural
changes. This feeling is often transferred to
project workers as well, because poverty is
ultimately very stressful for everyone involved
and barely allows a “glance over the fence”.
The purpose of cultural policy in such marginal
situations will be to restore people’s dignity, or
boost their own resources so that they can
regain their dignity, e.g. through literacy skills,
hygiene, or a regular earned income, no matter
how modest. The survival of creative skills, traditional but forgotten craft skills, songs and
music can all help to open the door to a life of
dignity. The question which arises is whether
the antipoverty programmes and projects are
geared towards this horizon and offer scope –
i.e. time, staff and money – to reach it.
Cultural policy: combating over-hasty
assumptions
Projects’ lack of success is sometimes explained
in terms of the local “culture”, which, it is claimed, is opposed to a social or medical institution, agricultural process or model of participation. Analyses then often reveal impatience
on the part of managers, arrogance on the part
of better-educated technicians, or simply a lack
of imagination about the value systems under-
CASE STUDY
Cultural reflex
Culture does not exist for its own sake, and
nor is it an additional “discipline” in development work. Culture adds value to projects
and programmes provided that timely consideration is given to the potential capacities
Burkina Faso
West Africa
“I’m not paying!”
Since its establishment in 1975, the Théâtre de
la Fraternité in Ouagadougou has run its
“théâtre-débats”: a theatre forum which focusses specifically on social intervention. The theatre group, led by Jean-Pierre Guingané, seeks
to engage in discussion with its public. It presents problems for debate and confronts the
audience with new ideas and values.
Children’s TV is not child’s play
Well-made films for children are unfortunately a
rarity on African channels. Many of them also
show a world which has little relevance to African
children. Children in Africa lead very different
lives from children in Tokyo, Los Angeles or
Zurich-Leutschenbach.
of local cultures, i.e. during project planning
and development. Which customs, traditions,
proverbs or taboos appear to be “killers” at
first, yet at second glance could actually
serve as a vehicle for new methods, technologies or behaviours? Can the weight of the
existing cultures be used to benefit development and progress, in line with the judo principle? It is important to give greater priority
to these considerations in development work
so that a real cultural reflex can emerge.
lying the objections or opposition to the project. Cultural work in a genuine sense has not
taken place. Cultural policy helps to identify
the real questions before premature answers
are given to unasked questions.
•
This can only succeed if the author and actors
adapt to the milieu in which the performance
is taking place. In other words, they start with
the issues, concerns and needs of the audience. In this context, the play’s entertainment
value is a key factor.
Most of the plays performed by the theatre
group feature “Joe l’artiste”. Joe is a crazy but
engaging free spirit. He does not hesitate to
speak his mind and never shies away from
even the most heated discussion with the
public.
The Théatre de la Fraternité also undertakes
commissioned productions, such as “I’m not
paying!” which was commissioned by SDC.
The play addresses the lack of insight into the
fact that people who want to benefit from social services must also pay taxes.
By contrast, the six films in the “Contes à rebours”
series, which were completed in 2003, give
African children from 8 to 12 years the opportunity to explore their own reality and cultural roots.
This is the first time that authors and producers
from several West African countries have co-produced a series. This was made possible through a
production grant from SDC, and especially
through a longer-term training programme for
West African screenwriters and producers which
was managed by the Swiss Foundation for
Continuous Training in Cinematic and
Audiovisual Art (FOCAL), also with support from
SDC.
Experience with this training programme, which is
oriented to specific film projects, prompted SDC
to work with FOCAL on similar training programmes in southern Africa (“Breaking the Walls”) and
southern Caucasus (“Avanti”).
“I’m not paying!” addresses this problem using
the example of the large market in Ouahigouya, which was built with SDC funds. The
cooperative responsible for the market initiated the play in order to give the stallholders a
better understanding of the “traders’ fees”,
which they see as a bitter pill.
31
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INDICATORS FOR CULTURAL POLICY
8.
Measuring the unquantifiable
An integrated cultural
In the context of an integrated cultural policy,
staff in the field increasingly become facilitators, progressively relinquishing their role as
actors. They will no longer simply function as
representatives of the development agencies
or the organizations which control them, but
will act as ambassadors and mediators for the
communities involved in the project activities.
The fieldworkers actually become mediators
between two often very different patterns of
thinking and sets of perceptions. They are thus
engaged in an ongoing communication process,
and in this context, must be able to “read” the
existing and different socio-cultural situations
and evaluate the balance between values,
thought and behavioural processes. To this end,
a reliable system of indicators is required.
policy changes the culture
of development work as
well. The cultural approach
means that projects are
regarded less as a means
of achieving specific predetermined goals than as
a way of including the
local populations in an ongoing dialogue about their
own expectations.
Projects become a way of
identifying and meeting
own needs, problems and
priorities. As a result, the
image of the – foreign –
project officers also changes.
Quantitative and qualitative indicators
If culture is seen as the sum of a society’s values, preferences and behaviours – in line with
the World Culture Report – it becomes apparent
that most elements of this culture are not, or are
barely, quantifiable. Nonetheless, there are four
fundamental categories, or “clusters”, of existing or potential cultural indicators which draw
together quantitative and qualitative factors
(see box page 34).
At the same time, the indicator cluster described
by Colin Mercer in “Towards Cultural Citizenship: Tools for Cultural Policy and Development”
forms a cultural frame of reference for the assessment of cultural policy in the development context.
On the basis of the cultural frame of reference
and the indicator cluster, the next step is to
devise and apply operational tools to assess
and implement development projects in the cultural context.
32
Culture mapping
The cultural environment is becoming
increasingly important when weighing up the pros and cons of development investment. A kind of “cultural audit” is required: a process
which permits both a quantitative
and a qualitative evaluation of a
given community and enables
strengths and weaknesses, opportunities and risks to be assessed
more efficiently and promptly
for the planned project. The
key word is culture mapping.
This tool allows values and preferences, the “objectively” available cultural resources, the
cultural obstacles to development, and finally, the development potential of cultural
resources to be assessed simultaneously. Culture mapping is
both an analytical and a strategic planning tool.
•
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INDICATORS FOR CULTURAL POLICY
CASE STUDY
Vitality, diversity and participation in
Lifestyle and identity
the community
This measures the extent to which cultural re-
This measures the health and sustainability of
sources and capital are used to define a spe-
the culture industries as well as the way in
cific lifestyle and identity.
which the exchange and diversity of cultural
Indicators in these areas should assess the
resources and experiences contribute to qua-
following elements:
lity of life.
• Extent, diversity and duration of use and
Indicators in this area should assess the fol-
non-usage of cultural resources for lifestyle
lowing elements:
and identity goals.
• Economic strength and dynamism of the
• Recognition and assessment of existing
cultural sector.
subcultures operating within or beyond the
• Diversity of cultural production and con-
normal rules, such as ethnic, gender, regional/
sumption.
local and age-related forms of subculture.
• Sustainability of cultural ecology, including
• Imbalances between demography, geogra-
the links and flow of resources between the
phy or income, etc. which prohibit balanced
commercial, public and non-profit sectors.
access.
• Extent to which these factors contribute to
• Are there any political frameworks, mecha-
general quality of life and participation in
nisms and measures in place which facilitate
the community.
development in these areas?
• Are there any political frameworks, mechanisms and measures in place which facilitate
Culture, ethics and governance
development in these areas?
This measures the extent to which cultural
resources and capital contribute to changes
34
Access, participation and use
in individual and collective behaviour.
This measures the opportunities for, and resi-
Indicators in these areas should assess the
stance to, cultural engagement by users, con-
following elements:
sumers and participants.
• Assessment of the role of culture and cul-
Indicators in these areas should assess the
tural resources in personal and community
following elements:
development.
• Access to creative activity, up to and inclu-
• Contribution of culture and cultural resour-
ding use.
ces to community cohesion and to social inte-
• The demography of use and users, non-
gration/exclusion.
usage and non-users of cultural resources.
• Contribution of culture and cultural resour-
• The purposes for which cultural resources
ces to an understanding of diversity and di-
are used.
versities.
• Are there any political frameworks, mecha-
• Are there any political frameworks, mecha-
nisms and measures in place which facilitate
nisms and measures in place which facilitate
development in these areas?
development in these areas?
Bangladesh
Uzbekistan
Images for change: Drik Picture
Library in Dhaka, Bangladesh
Drik (Sanskrit for “vision”) was founded in
1990 by the photographer and doctor
Shahidul Alam and a small group of photographers. The group shared a common vision: to
feed “other pictures” into the international
media, away from disaster reporting and
towards photos which reflect a more human
and realistic view of life.
“Borders”
Competitions have always been very popular
in Uzbekistan. The special feature of this competition was its unusual and challenging theme
of “Borders”: borders between countries,
nations, generations, the past and the future,
good and evil, life and death, conscious and
subconscious, tradition and innovation …
Since then, Drik has become a dynamic international centre for socially committed photography and also human rights campaigns. Drik
has launched the nation’s first webzine
“Meghbarta”, established a photogallery,
photostudio and laboratory, and is actively
involved in training – not only for young photojournalists but also for children from underprivileged groups, for example.
All the revenue from the worldwide sales of
“Tales of Globalization”, a book of photographs published with the support of SDC,
goes to Drik.
Links: www.drik.net; www.meghbarta.org
1 Cultural Heritage, Cultural Industry, Film &
Audio Visual, Fine Arts & Crafts, Language &
Literature, Performing Arts.
The project’s main goals were:
To enable young people in urban and rural
regions to engage in free artistic creativity,
protected from the restraints imposed by the
state.
To break away from entrenched structures and
explore reality in an artistically authentic way.
To discover hidden talents.
To promote cross-cultural dialogue with neighbour countries.
The participants were students aged between
14 and 25 years from 14 art schools across
the country. The long duration of the competition (5 months) and the thorough induction into
the theme proved particularly valuable. A
team of local artists and art historians visited
all the schools and discussed the new concept
and methodology directly with the students.
The resulting quality and diversity of the works
submitted are impressive. Uzbekistan’s
Academy of Arts has made one of its foremost
exhibition spaces in Tashkent available free of
charge to display the many paintings, graphic
works, sculptures and installations.
Packed securely in cases, the exhibition will
also travel around selected provinces some distance away from the capital and visit major
cities beyond the border with Tajikistan and
Kyrgyzstan.
This competition is part of the SDC’s cultural
programme which aims to support platforms
fostering cultural, political, social, ethical and
aesthetic awareness among young people
during times of transition.
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LESSONS LEARNT
9.
Lessons learnt
Platforms: unique – sustainable
There is no conflict between a “one-off” event
and sustainability. There is emotional sustainability, based on memory and internalization.
However, for a one-off cultural event to have a
lasting effect, specific conditions must be in
place.
Individual events must be embedded in platforms as part of a long-term cultural programme
whose strategies and objectives are devised
openly and democratically without any substantive, formal or ideological “guard rails”
imposed from outside, and with no “hidden
agenda”.
For example, a one-off national music festival
in Tajikistan, which took place at the right moment, did much to revitalize the lost cultural
scene, revive people’s sense of belonging and
cohesion, and promote peaceful coexistence
and celebration between the various population groups. This was entirely in line with the
overarching objective which had been defined
“to reveal and promote the country’s cultural
diversity – as a contribution to developing a
national consciousness”. The festival was thus
a platform, offering a unique opportunity to
embed messages deeply in the memory of a
large number of people through a single event.
Individual cultural events can generate an
ongoing discourse if they enable uncompromising creative artists to reach out to the public.
Such debates contribute to free expression and
foster a liberal attitude, also towards minorities and outsiders.
36
A nationwide competition for young Uzbek
painters, sculptors and conceptual artists on
the sensitive topic of borders requires independent and creative thought from the participants. In this project, the process precedes the
outcome, giving a wide range of young people impetus for independent personal growth.
The competition is thus a platform for the targeted promotion of cultural, political, social
and aesthetic awareness, in this case in response to a genuine and threatening border
situation. It is also a platform for the discovery
of hidden talents and regional specificities,
and perhaps for visions of bridges overcoming
borders …
The City of Artists Arts Centre in Kyrgyzstan,
established through cooperation between the
National Artists’ Association in Kyrgyzstan and
SDC’s Cooperation Office, has set itself the task
of informing artists and culture stakeholders
about current regional and international artistic
endeavour and creating a platform for a public
discourse on art and culture.
Platforms are also hubs, relays, networks, refuges … if they have a sound conceptual basis,
they have a lasting effect: comparing, linking,
networking, provoking, teaching, opening doors,
creating respect, awakening joy and passion,
creating trust and, not least, developing an
attractive corporate identity. They are a key
element of the cultural programmes – whenever
the focus is on respect for others, sensuousness
and cultural awareness.
•
Changing attitudes and
behaviour
Should we trust the local experts on
cultural matters? Isn’t this approach
too risky? Do they know anything
about project planning, project
management and project implementation? Won’t they use the
money which has been entrusted to them for the wrong purposes? These are the questions
which the international donors
often ask themselves, even if
they do not voice them openly.
Yet there are many examples
which prove that the opposite
is true.
Culture is a very new field in
international development cooperation. It was always regarded as a pure luxury, but in reality, it is an essential element of
life and plays a major role in development. Even today, however,
donor institutions and, indeed, the
embassies in the southern countries
provide relatively small sums of
money for culture as an independent
area. Generally speaking, projects are
selected for funding on an ad hoc
basis, depending on who knows whom
and where the various offices are located.
As a result, most of the funding flows to the
capitals or other major cities. Could this change
if local representatives were also involved in
the process?
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LESSONS LEARNT
With this in mind, the idea of launching a
culture fund in Tanzania was born, in order
to coordinate the small amounts of money
received from various international sources, pool them with the funds available
locally, and thus create better opportunities for the culture industries in Tanzania
to develop and grow. A further aim
was to include local people with close
links to the arts scene in the administration and management of the fund,
since they are far better informed
than the external experts about the
conditions and needs of the local
scene in their country. While the
commitment and cooperation remained unchanged, the aim was to
transfer the ownership of these initiatives to the people of Tanzania.
Mfuko wa Utamaduni Tanzania (Mfuko)
The Tanzania Culture Trust Fund was
launched in April 1999, the culmination of a process which began with a
series of workshops in 1997, when
actors and local culture stakeholders
reviewed Tanzania’s cultural practice
and defined the needs and priorities of
each culture subsector as a basis for a
national cultural policy. In 1998, the cultural policy was endorsed by the Tanzanian
Parliament, thus laying the foundations for
the Mfuko Trust. As an independent entity,
Mfuko is presided over by a Board of Trustees
comprising ten enthusiastic, knowledgeable
and highly committed members (five women
and five men), who represent the various culture subsectors as well as local donors, civil
society, the Tanzanian Government, and the
international donors. Nine members of the
Board of Trustees are Tanzanian citizens, and
only the representative of the international
donors is not from Tanzania. A secretariat is
LESSONS LEARNT
responsible for the day-to-day administration
of the Trust.
The most important activities are financing cultural projects as well as selecting the winners
of the Zeze Cultural Awards for individuals
who have made an outstanding contribution to
Tanzania’s cultural life. The Board grants funding once a year, after the various culture stakeholders have made their selection of deserving
projects and advised the Board accordingly.
One of the objectives is to reach the entire
country with this activity. During the first year,
only 20 out of a total of 175 funding applications were received from outside the capital
Dar es Salaam. By 2003, this situation had
changed to such an extent that 235 applications came from the individual provinces and
199 from Dar es Salaam. During the period
from 1999 to 2003, the Mfuko Trust received
1,474 applications for funding, with 231 finally
being selected and approved. 27 winners were
chosen to receive the Zeze Cultural Awards.
The Mfuko Trust is successful in a variety of
areas due to its pro-active and future-oriented
approach. It establishes and maintains contacts with influential Tanzanians, it raises public awareness of the value of culture, and it
encourages the media to focus more strongly
on the cultural sector. Newspapers, radio and
television stations now report on cultural
events and carry interviews with artists to an
extent which would have been inconceivable
in the past.
•
Wanted: arts managers and networkers
SDC’s cultural activities focus, in many countries, on events. Priority is given to supporting
music, dance or film festivals. Of course, a
dynamic culture scene needs this type of platform. However, for a country’s long-term cultural diversity, professional arts managers and
astute networkers are perhaps even more important.
Many artists are poor managers. This may
lead to amateurish management of arts organizations, poorly planned activities, inadequate
fund-raising, unrealistic budgets and therefore
major losses – all of which can have a serious
impact on, or even lead to the failure of cultural activities.
This problem certainly does not only affect the
developing countries. In Europe, too, the call
for good arts managers is becoming louder.
As a result, more training programmes have
been established, such as postgraduate studies.
In most southern and eastern countries, these
opportunities are unlikely to be available for
the foreseeable future. It is therefore even more
important to help develop the necessary arts
management expertise through targeted support
measures.
Social creativity is required in networking too.
Many artists in the southern and eastern countries feel isolated. Some of them, however, manage to network with colleagues but also with
events organizers. This is often just a matter of
chance. SDC can help put local, regional and
international networking on a more viable footing.
Many artists, hearing the word “networking”,
immediately think of their international career
– and a visit to New York, Paris, Berlin or
Madrid. However, SDC, with its commitment to
cultural self-awareness and local cultural diversity, must have a different priority: local and
regional networking.
What is required are regional training, discussion and presentation platforms. Alongside personal exchange, some of these needs can be
met through new information and communication technologies (ICTs). Many artists, but also
an increasing number of cultural minorities,
are extremely adept at using these new amenities to break out of their isolation and feed
their interests into the global information society.
For SDC, this opens up a broad range of opportunities to provide organizations with futureoriented support at limited cost.
•
This is by no means an easy task: the starting
conditions may vary considerably – a theatre
group has different requirements from a craft
cooperative, and an arts gallery operates in a
different way from a mobile rural cinema.
Providing support only makes sense if it takes
account of these different needs. There are no
patent recipes for this – but there are creative
ad hoc solutions.
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SDC CULTURAL POLICY IN SWITZERLAND
10.
The North-South dialogue is
important to us
As part of its communi-
The aim of SDC cultural policy in Switzerland
is to achieve a better understanding and greater
solidarity with the southern and eastern countries through emotional and personal contact.
SDC thus contributes to a better awareness of
“others” in public opinion while supporting
creative artists from the south. This also links in
with the presentation of SDC’s development
work in the public arena.
cation mission and based
on the concepts underpinning UNESCO’s World
Decade for Cultural Development, SDC has supported cultural activities in
Switzerland for more than
ten years. Its main focus
is on intercultural encounter
and the presentation of
forms of cultural expression
from the developing and
transition countries.
Funding programmes
for film production and distribution
Each year, SDC directly funds the production
of five or six documentary films which contribute to awareness-raising in the development
context. As well as the requirement that the
films submitted must show artistic merit, a binding commitment that the film will be shown on
a TV channel is essential if the project is to be
awarded funding. SDC’s support also indirectly
benefits feature-film production in the southern
countries and – since 1997 – the eastern countries via the Swiss Montecinemaverita Foundation. The majority of films co-funded to date by
the SDC via the Foundation have played to
great acclaim at major film festivals.
To ensure that these “world films” are accessible
to the public, SDC provides substantial assistance to trigon film for its distribution activities.
Partnerships have also been established with
film festivals, which have now developed into
genuine platforms for film promotion in the
southern and eastern countries. They include,
for example, the North-South Media Festival in
Geneva, Fribourg International Film Festival,
Festival Visions du Réel (the International Documentary Film Festival) in Nyon, and CinemAfrica
in Zurich. The One World Film Service (Filmdienst für Eine Welt), which focusses especially
on distribution to schools, can also rely on
SDC’s support.
40
Promoting culture
The joint culture organization Culture
and Development (K & E) plays a key
role in promoting creative artists from
southern countries who are currently
resident in Switzerland. Culture and
Development organizes exhibitions,
promotes information exchange
and runs a website (www.coordinarte.ch). On behalf of SDC,
Culture and Development also
administers the fund for southern
culture, which promotes exhibitions, tours and productions in
Switzerland.
The Afro-Pfingsten festival in
Winterthur and the Paléo Festival, Nyon – both of which are
national events – have been committed to promoting southern cultures for many years and have
established a partnership with
SDC. The same applies to the
music festivals Estival Lugano and
Stanser Musiktage, as well as to
the Ethnomusical Workshops in
Geneva and the Berne Festival of
Black African Theatre.
•
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CASE STUDY
LITERATURE, CONTACTS, LINKS
Tajikistan
The Yak House
In 1999, ACTED introduced a rural development programme in the Murghab region in the
east of Tajikistan. Focussing on local craftsmanship and participation, the project was an
integrated approach rooted in the regional
dynamic of this vast, mountainous and isolated
region inhabited by some 15,000 people.
Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, the
Murghab population had to revert to a yakbased economy as a means to counter the
effects of the socio-economical crisis. This was
coupled with a revival of the local culture. At
that point, it seemed clear that local craftsmanship would be an efficient yet innovative
way to relaunch the local economy while increasing the population’s awareness of this dynamic.
Moreover, common cultural activities substantially improved the project’s image and opened
many doors to this closed society.
The promotion of local resources
Thus the economical dimension of this incomegenerating programme is enhanced by a sense
of cultural ownership.
Literature
Another initiative in the programme is to promote commercial exchanges on a regional and
subregional basis between the city of Murghab
and the neighbouring valleys.
“Tanz
der
Kulturen”,
Breidenbach
Joana/Zukrigl Ina, RoRoRo-Taschenbuch,
ISBN 3-499-60838-3
Hence the programme enhances interaction
between populations from socio-economically
diverse backgrounds and encourages the promotion of all represented identities: Tajik,
Pamiris and Kyrghyz.
As well as promoting cultural identities in their
diversity, enhancing the value of local resources, and contributing to the opening of the
economy, the programme has succeeded in
creating a platform for exchange in one of the
remotest regions of the world: the high plateaus of Pamir.
Contacts
Published by:
Swiss Agency for Development
The following publications, among others,
were used as sources for this brochure:
“Towards Cultural Citizenship: Tools for
Cultural Policy and Development”, Colin
Mercer, The Bank of Sweden Tercentenary
Foundation, Sida & Gidlunds förlag.
“Culture Matters: How Values Shape Human
Progress”, Lawrence E. Harrison, Samuel P.
Huntington (eds), available in paperback in
Basic Books. ISBN 0 465 03176 5.
“Recognising Culture”, François Matarasso
(ed.), Comedia, Department of Canadian
Heritage and UNESCO with support from the
World Bank. ISBN 1 873 667 03 5.
Cultural work abroad
[email protected]
North-South dialogue in Switzerland:
[email protected]
(Audiovisual activities, exhibitions)
benedikt.gü[email protected]
(Stage arts)
and Cooperation (SDC)
Swiss Ministry of Foreign Affairs
(DFAE)
Orders:
SDC Distribution Centre
Tel. 031 322 44 12
Fax 031 324 13 48
www.deza.admin.ch
Links
www.deza.admin.ch
www.trigonfilms.org
(Services/Publications)
[email protected]
Concept:
Toni Linder, Social Development
Section
Text and production:
Büro Stefan Frey, Neuchâtel
Editorial collaboration:
Sophie Delessert, Franz Frei,
Diego Gradis, Anita Theorell
Design:
Michèle Petter Sakthivel, Bern
The Yak House, a craft cooperative, is the
backbone of the development programme.
ACTED provides around 350 women with
wool and dye. These materials are turned into
home-produced goods which the women then
sell in the Yak House.
The structure is well adapted to local lifestyles
and allows for a great degree of flexibility, as
each woman offers the amount of time most
suitable to her particular situation. At the same
time, the Yak House has become a genuine
space for women’s socialization.
“Use or Ornament? The Social Impact of
Participation in the Arts”, François Matarasso,
Comedia, ISBN 1 873 667 57 4.
“Die Stadt der Zugezogenen”, Bernard
Imhasly, Neue Zürcher Zeitung NZZ,
Zeitbilder Supplement, No. 135, 2003.
Cover and chapter pictures:
Driss Manchoube, Bern
Picture page 41: still picture from
the film «Yi Yi»
Case study pictures:
p. 9 Centre de formation en
photographie, Bamako
Other useful sources:
Mozambik;
p.13 Toni Linder;
Baecker, Dirk: Wozu Kultur? Berlin, Kadmos
2001. A series of short essays from the perspective of a sociologist and systems theorist.
p.17 cpg productions; Hans Schilt
p. 21 point de vue;
p. 27 Tibet Institute,
Andreas Litmanowitsch;
p. 31 Contes à rebours;
p. 35 Alexander Zlatkin
Printing:
Graf-Lehmann AG, Bern
© September 2003
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